Lynn nodded in satisfaction.
This creation was perfect.
He walked up to Human Torch and looked into his eyes, where orange-red flames burned and reflected Lynn's figure.
"Your name is Jim Hammond."
"Yes."
"But you are not human."
Lynn's voice was steady, carrying a kind of magic.
"You come from a higher-dimensional world, a world made of energy. There is no pain or death there, only eternal light and heat."
Human Torch listened quietly.
"You came here because you sensed the filth and anguish of this world."
Lynn continued weaving a purpose for his existence.
"You are a kind being. Your instinct is to protect and purify."
He reached out and gently touched Human Torch's chest.
It was hard and warm.
"But you know nothing about this world. Like a newborn baby, you find everything here unfamiliar and fascinating."
"And I..."
Lynn looked him straight in the eye and spoke slowly, word by word.
"Am your first point of reference in the human world, your only guide. I will teach you how to understand this world, how to use your power, and how to tell good from evil."
"Your will is above all else."
"Very good."
Lynn turned to Dr. Horton, who stood nearby.
"Doctor, get him some clothes."
"Then," Lynn instructed, "prepare to welcome a grand... arrival ceremony."
Three days later.
All of America had fallen into a strange frenzy.
Through an exclusive channel at Stars and Stripes, Lynn released a "prophecy."
The report was a carefully worded proclamation steeped in religious mysticism.
It claimed that the "red clown" hiding in Germany's sewers had angered a true god with his shameless blasphemy against the god of war, Soldier Boy.
To cleanse the filth spread by the clown, God would send another of his messengers down to the human world: a guardian angel who commanded fire and light!
"He will descend from the heavens, clad in flames."
"His light will pierce the gloom of war."
"His flames will pass judgment on all evil."
Lynn had skillfully guided and elevated the people's worship of Soldier Boy and their contempt for Red Skull.
They had become a collective longing for a "miracle."
"A guardian angel? God, is this true?"
"We have a god of war, and now we're getting a guardian angel too?"
"God is watching over America! We're sure to win this war!"
Countless media outlets caught wind of the news and swarmed toward New York like sharks that had smelled blood.
Lynn had anonymously tipped off major newspapers, claiming that "abnormal celestial phenomena" had frequently appeared over an area on the outskirts of New York City.
Before long, the normally deserted open ground outside New York was livelier than Times Square.
Reporters, fervent believers, and curious onlookers packed the area, leaving no gaps.
They set up cameras of all sizes, pitched tents, and stayed awake through the night.
All to wait for that elusive "miracle."
The night grew darker.
Just as everyone was growing drowsy from waiting and beginning to wonder whether this was another hoax-
"Look! What's that!"
A startled cry pierced the silent night sky.
Everyone looked up.
A "meteor" trailing a long tail of fire was streaking through the clouds at an astonishing speed.
It was plunging straight toward the open ground where they stood!
The light grew brighter and brighter, rapidly expanding from a tiny speck into a dazzling fireball!
A wave of searing heat rushed over them. They could even smell the air scorching!
"God!"
"It really is a meteor!"
The crowd erupted.
Screams of terror mingled with fervent prayers.
The reporters, heedless of the danger, frantically kept their cameras trained on the falling fireball.
"Boom-!!!"
A deafening crash rang out.
The fireball slammed into the center of the open space the crowd had left clear.
The ground shook violently, and the impact hurled dirt and rocks dozens of meters into the air, like a small earthquake.
A crater more than twenty meters across appeared before everyone.
Flames roared at the center of its floor, illuminating half the night sky orange-red.
Everyone stood frozen in terror at the cataclysmic sight.
Just then.
A figure slowly rose from the flames at the bottom of the crater.
Crimson flames burned all over his body.
The flames seemed to be a part of him.
They were his robes, his wings.
He raised his head and looked around at the dumbstruck mortals.
There was no expression on his face, only curiosity about this world.
He held out a hand, and a flame danced merrily in his palm.
Then he gave the nearest reporter a friendly, slightly puzzled smile.
"Click! Click! Click!"
Tom's hands shook so badly he could barely hold his camera, but professional instinct drove him to press the shutter frantically.
A god wreathed in fire stood at the bottom of a meteor crater and gave the human world his first smile.
Tomorrow's front-page headline sprang into Tom's mind-
"After the God of War, a Guardian Angel Descends Upon the Human World!"
That night, all of America would be sleepless.
The people no longer needed proof or explanations.
They had witnessed a miracle with their own eyes!
This was God's favor upon the United States!
It was the final judgment upon the German Nazis!
On a hillside not far away, Lynn sat in his car and lowered his binoculars.
The plan had been executed perfectly.
From today onward, this world had one more god.
And the instruction manual for this god remained firmly in his grasp.
Lynn picked up the car phone and dialed Colonel Phillips's number in Europe.
"Colonel, it's me."
Phillips was in a foul mood, and his voice sounded irritable over the phone.
"Lynn? This had better be important! That damned Soldier Boy drank all my whiskey again! And he complained that the masseuse I found wasn't professional enough!"
"Colonel, don't get angry just yet."
Lynn chuckled.
"In a while, I'll send you a better toy, a... obedient toy."
"What do you mean?"
"Get ready to welcome a new guest."
Lynn watched Human Torch in the distance, surrounded by the crowd and beginning to perform "fire magic," and spoke slowly.
"His name is Human Torch, a courteous, pure and kind guardian angel who obeys orders."